So
Who’s Been Saying What
“DEMOCRACY AND development
are the twin engines of social progress. The two are
inseparable. A country cannot achieve long-term growth
if its citizens are not free to play their full part
in the democratic process,” Don McKinnon, Commonwealth
Secretary-General.
|
“IDEALLY, THE Commonwealth Ministerial
Action Group should also look at the more substantive aspects
of democratic functioning of its member states including the
value they place on protecting and promoting human rights,”
– Clare Doube, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
(New Delhi).
“WE FIND it bizarre that such a privilege is extended
to the business community but not to civil society,”
– Martin Sime of the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations on heads of government meeting with a business
forum, but not a peoples forum.
“WHILE Commonwealth meetings are valued as places where
countries meet on more equal terms than in other international
fora, at the same time civil society has less opportunity
to engage than in other fora,” letter from the advisory
committee of the Commonwealth Heads of Government to the secretariat.
“TOO DECENT, too tame, too timid,” – Mo
Arigbede of the Coalition for Popular Development Initiatives,
speaking about civil society in the Commonwealth.
“TODAY, EXCEPT in a handful of countries, governments
enthusiastically retain and indeed embrace these symbols of
supremacy as there has been no intervening change from colonial
to constitutional governance.
“OFFICIAL SECRETS acts, preventive detention and anti-terrorist
legislation, criminal defamation laws, overly indulgent contempt
and privilege laws, media and privacy regulations and restrictive
civil service rules all remain very much intact,” –
excerpt from “OPEN SESAME, Looking for the right to
information in the Commonwealth”; the Human Rights Initiative
“COMMONWEALTH LEADERS meeting in Abuja should not give
Nigeria a free pass on human rights. Even though military
rule has ended, Nigerians still cannot express themselves
freely without fear of grave consequences,” –
Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division
of Human Rights Watch.
“WE JUST don’t have enough say in what goes on.
We are working with the people, and governments that take
action in the name of the people must listen to us,”
– Silam Hassan, Malaysian trade unionist on extending
the role of civil society in the Commonwealth.
“THERE IS no job opportunity for our youths and that
is why there is restiveness and crisis in the area. When the
youths have job, they will raise families and think of providing
for them and use their time to do meaningful things,”
– Pastor Timon Uhudu of the Rivers Economic Development
Forum, on the youth of the Niger Delta.
“SHOW SOME civility,” – Nkoyo Toyo, to
a policeman in the Terra Viva office.
“I NO listening; no listening,” – Traffic
policeman stopping journalists getting to the International
Convention Centre, venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government
meeting.
“THE COMMONWEALTH is very weak at criticising member
governments. Take Swaziland, for example, it has no freedom
of association,” - Annie Watson of the Council of Trade
Unions
|
